Los Angeles Angels rally to beat Kansas City

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez, left, tags out Los Angeles Angels' Albert Pujols (5) who was attempting to score from second base on a single hit by Angels' C.J. Cron for the last out of the seventh inning of a baseball game on Sunday, May 25, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Angelsí Mike Trout (27) congratulates Chris Iannetta (17) for hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the eighth inning of a baseball game on Sunday, May 25, 2014, in Anaheim, Calif. The Angels won 4-3. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

ANAHEIM — A 28-21 record, a second-place standing in the American League West and a storehouse of sabermetric sundries show the Angels are a better team than they were last year.

Just as impressive is their collective sense of calm amid adversity. It shows in the players’ demeanor, although there’s a stat for that, too. The Angels have trailed in 36 games this season; they’ve come from behind to win 15, including a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

By the seventh inning the Angels trailed 3-0. A 24-year-old pitcher with a 100 mph fastball was on the mound. Five batters later, the game was tied 3-3.

By the ninth inning Ernesto Frieri was toying with fate by putting a runner on second base with one out in a 4-3 game. Two batters later, the final score was official. Most of the announced crowd of 36,114 at Angel Stadium remained — a sign that fans are starting to believe again, too.

“You could see (Frieri) was calm out there,” Angels catcher Chris Iannetta said. “We’re all calm out there.”

Iannetta’s solo home run in the eighth inning off Tim Collins (0-3), a line drive just inside the left-field foul pole, was the game-winning hit. David Freese’s two-run single off fireballer Kelvin Herrera tied the game in the seventh inning after an RBI double by Mike Trout spoiled the shutout.

Garrett Richards pitched seven strong innings and Michael Kohn (2-1) pitched a scoreless eighth for the victory. Frieri survived a double by Salvador Perez to record his sixth save, although Angels manager Mike Scioscia wasn’t ready to re-anoint him the team’s closer afterward.

Kansas City got all its runs in the third inning on a double, three singles, a walk, a wild pitch and a balk by Richards.

“After the third inning, (pitching coach Mike Butcher) came in and told me to let it go. ‘You’re still in the ballgame and you still have a chance to win.’ That’s what I pride myself on, is giving myself a chance to win regardless of the score or how I perform,” Richards said.

That’s a sign of maturity from the 25-year-old that wasn’t always apparent last year. Iannetta said Richards turned a corner midway through last season.

“He figured out that if he controls his emotions, every pitcher is different,” Iannetta said. “Some people need to be really high emotions, some need to be low, some are in between.

“He found where he’s best and he’s able to maintain that more and more.”

Richards allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven. He’s lasted seven innings in seven of his 10 starts this season.

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The right-hander missed out on his fifth victory of the year by inches — literally — as the Angels rallied in the seventh inning.

Kelvin Herrera relieved Royals starter Jason Vargas with one out in the seventh inning and Cowgill on first base. Pinch-hitter Raul Ibanez greeted Herrera with a single to right field, sending Cowgill to second.

With two outs, Trout roped a double into the left-field corner, scoring Cowgill with the Angels’ first run. Herrera hit Albert Pujols in the left tricep with an 80-mph curveball, loading the bases for Freese.

With two strikes, Freese punched a 99-mph fastball the opposite way for a single that tied the game 3-3.

With Pujols on second base, C.J. Cron singled to right field. Angels third-base coach Gary DiSarcina waved Pujols home, and the slow-footed first baseman slid under the tag from catcher Salvador Perez. Home-plate umpire Mike Muchlinski called Pujols out, however, and the call was confirmed by a video review.

Cowgill made a pair of sliding catches in foul territory in left field. Ibanez took over in left field in the eighth inning and slid to catch a sinking fly ball by Jarrod Dyson for the first out of the inning.

“They were huge,” Scioscia said of the three catches. “The play that Collin made (in the third inning) kind of minimized some damage — a big out with runners on first and third — got the second out and almost got the play at the plate too. That was a phenomenal catch.

“The bigger catch is probably the one that Raul made with (Jarrod) Dyson up. He has that game-changing speed. He can steal a base and get into scoring position on any base hit or a walk. For him to make that first out in the eighth inning in a tie game is a great play.”